Article

Locked Out: What to Do and What to Pay

Updated October 11, 2026

Call in this order

1. Someone with a key — partner, roommate, neighbor, landlord. Free beats fast.
2. An open window or secondary door — only yours, only without damage.
3. A locksmith — licensed, marked van, written price before tools touch the door.

Prices and red flags

• Daytime lockout opening: roughly $75-150. After-hours doubles it. See pricing lines.
• Red flags: no firm price on the phone, cash-only demands, drilling offered before picking is attempted, unmarked vehicle.
• Drilling is last resort — a competent tech picks or bypasses standard residential locks. Drilling means a new lock plus the opening fee.

Prevent the next one

Cut spares per the spares guide, stage one off-site, and consider a keypad or smart lock so the next lockout ends at the keypad. Verify any invoice with the quote checker.